Losing and Winning
by Harumi Fujyoshi
Summary: Crystal tricks Gold and Silver into a bet. But maybe sometimes losing and winning aren't that far apart. Gold/Silver. Preciousmetalshipping. Gameverse.


"Oh, Silver~" I cooed with one of the widest smiles on my face I ever had (believe me when I say it almost exceeded my face's width).  
Silver grumbled something and looked down almost as if admitting defeat. I pinched his cheek (at which he loudly yelped) to get him to face me and said those words I knew he didn't want to hear.  
"You gotta kiss me now."  
"I do not," Silver countered. It was such a childish answer – and that coming from me.

"You promised! You can't just betray a friend like that and break it," I protested loudly.

"Gold, do you really think I would ever kiss you?"

"Yes," I said, letting out a chuckle, "C'mon, admit you have secretly been lusting after me all this time."

Silver froze and replied with an angry denial.

"You still have to kiss me though."

* * *

If you're wondering how I got caught up in this situation, I'll try to explain it briefly. In all actuality this was Crystal's fault. Really, for once, it wasn't my idea. It was a few hours ago…

"You know, Gold, I think you were right all along," Crystal rushed out suddenly as she, I and Silver were strolling through Johto – Crystal needed apricorns for some kind of pokeball – in silence, up until now of course.

"Huh? About what?" It wasn't unusual for Crystal to say random – often outrageous – things out of the blue like this but that still didn't mean I understood what she meant.

"About Silver."

"What ab-" I tried to ask for more clarity but was abruptly cut off by the blue-haired girl.  
"I mean really, he acts all tough and untouchable but inside he's just plain and wimpy."

Silver, who had just waited to see what would become of this odd conversation before, now joined in. Cocking an eyebrow he said, remotely calm for the situation he was in:

"What do you base that on? Seriously Crystal, you are way out there."

"Well then, go on and enter that cave and take a swim in one of the lakes there." I saw Crystal point to a cave that mom used to warn me about when I was younger. It was dark there and you could easily trip. It was also packed with wild pokemon, none particularly strong but in a group strong enough to hurt you bad.

"Isn't that going a little far, Crys?" I asked, pitying Silver a little.

"You'd do that if I bet you, wouldn't you?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"Well, proves my point, doesn't it?" Crystal stated, smirking. There must be something behind this. It was that mischievous smile adorning her lips that gave her away.

"And what if I don't? I can live with you and Gold calling me wimpy," Silver tried to outwit us. I thought he was just saying that, really. He would be bothered by that.

"Then you'll have to kiss Gold," Crystal shouted. I couldn't possibly disagree to such a fabulous bet. It was a brilliant idea. Of course I didn't really want to kiss Silver either but it was worth it.

"No way!" Silver had failed to control his temper this time.

"It has already been decided, so enter that cave! Gold will go with you to make sure you don't cheat. Or die." Crystal laughed maniacally at her last sentence and if I wouldn't have known her for a very long time it would've really creeped me out.

"Yo, let's go!" I yelled and punched my fist in the air excitedly like they always do on those shows I watch in the morning. I pushed a heavily protesting Silver into the cave but when I stopped pushing he walked back immediately.

"Hey dude, do you want to kiss me that badly?" I said, smiling - even though it couldn't be seen inside the cave. This shut Silver up well enough and so, he hesitatingly continued, shuffling his feet nervously.

Suddenly, he tripped over a rock. Correction: an angry graveler now coming our way. Because both of us were so clever we didn't remember we hadn't taken our pokemon with us. And so we were completely defenceless. Silver's 'accident' had also caused a few zubats to be startled and they flew towards us. I helped Silver up and he said exactly what I was thinking: "Run!"

We struggled but found the exit eventually and were awaited by an unknowing Crystal who decided we did not fulfil the task. Verdict: guilty. Sentenced to: kissing my best friend.

* * *

"Oh, Silver~" The most annoying voice I knew (believe me, you'd find it annoying too) cried my name suddenly. I didn't understand how Gold could still manage to have such a giant smile on his face.

"Get lost," I muttered and looked down, trying to convey my anger even more by adding a deep frown to it. Gold pinched my cheek and I yelped - did he just have to find an excuse to torture me every time?

"You gotta kiss me now," he mockingly, almost melodiously said.

"I do not." How could he think such a bet actually mattered to me. I did what I wanted, when I wanted to.

"You promised! You can't just betray a friend like that and break it!" Gold shouted at me. Well, I didn't exactly promise anything to be honest but he still had some kind of point.

"Gold, do you really think I would ever kiss you?"

"Yes." Gold laughed, completely ignoring the icy glares I was sending him, "C'mon, admit you have secretly been lusting after me all this time."

I stared at him in disbelief . Did he really just say that out loud?

"God, couldn't you like maybe, just, I don't know, get the hint? I do not like you. End of story."

"You still have to kiss me though."

* * *

If you're wondering how I got caught up in this situation, allow me to explain. This time it was - yet again - not my fault. It was Gold's. And Crystal's too. Really, do you think I would agree to such a ridiculous bet? Well anyway, it was a few hours ago…

Crystal and Gold had forced me along with them to find some berries or something so Crys could make pokeballs - really, couldn't she just buy them at the store? - and I half-heartedly agreed because I didn't have much better to do - which is saying a lot about how bored I was. We were around Violet City when Crystal broke the silence with one of her 'Eureka-moments' or whatever she liked to call them, anyway, one of her nonsensical statements that had nothing to do with the matter at hand.

"You know, Gold, I think you were right all along."

"Huh? About what?" Honestly, I had expected Gold to know exactly what she was talking about but apparently he wasn't that mentally distorted yet.

"About Silver." I repressed the urge to shout 'What about me?' and decided to just see what they had to say about me. I mean really, resistance against these two is futile.

"What ab-" Gold was cut off by Crystal. He should've known by now she doesn't stop talking at any given time.

"I mean really, he acts all tough and untouchable but inside he's just plain and wimpy." It seemed now would be a good time for me to interfere. This was really topping it off. 'Plain and wimpy'? Anyone who would've even looked at me once could disprove that. It didn't even count as a proper insult.

"What do you base that on? Seriously Crystal, you are way out there."

"Well then, go on and enter that cave and take a swim in one of the lakes there." Crystal pointed at a dark cave by the side of the path. How convenient, was she just waiting to let me go in there?

"Isn't that going a little far, Crys?" Gold defended me. Wait, why did he do that? He probably thinks I'm afraid or something. Which really, I'm not. I just don't like entering intimidating caves to go swimming in ice cold lakes that are apparently hidden there in the middle of fall. That's pretty understandable, I'd say.

"You'd do that if I bet you, wouldn't you?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"Well, proves my point, doesn't it?" Oh yeah, you're doing so well at defending me, Gold. She gives you one argument and you give in. Not that I need his help or anything.

"And what if I don't? I can live with you and Gold calling me wimpy." Hah! That'd stump them. There wasn't anything they could think up to counter that. Although, I suppose being called wimpy is annoying. They'd forget it soon enough though, hopefully.

"Then you'll have to kiss Gold!" Okay, they could think of something. Was she such a yaoi fangirl? And why the hell was Gold smiling? Don't tell me this was his plan. The bastard.

"No way!" I was not going to kiss Gold. Ever. Ever ever ever ever.

"It has already been decided, so enter that cave! Gold will go with you to make sure you don't cheat. Or die." Frankly, the not all too sane sounding laugh that came after Crystal's statements did nothing to encourage me. Nor did the fact Gold would be joining me.

"Yo, let's go!" Gold did some stupid 'move' to accompany his words and I still couldn't grasp what he was so damn excited about.

I refused to go into the cave - I repeat, I wasn't scared - but Gold dragged me along, anyway. Seeing as he let me go just before the entrance I turned around to walk away again. He could stop me - quite easily as he was 4 inches taller than me - but I took a stab at it anyway. He didn't even need force to stop me as he managed to prevent me from leaving with just one stupid sentence.

"Hey dude, do you wanna kiss me that badly?"

I was convinced enough to press on now but I was still a little wary of the dimly-lit, pokemon-flooded cavern and carefully threaded on. And no matter how careful I was something bad was just bound to happen, because it's me. And this here Silver is one of the unluckiest guys you'll ever meet. This time, I tripped. But of course I tripped over a graveler, not just a simple rock. Should've seen that one coming. I left my pokemon home, but luckily Gold always - oh fuck. A pair of threathening zubats that joined in was enough to make me scream loudly: "Run!"

Eventually, we found the exit, more or less unharmed. Crystal didn't even want to hear what happened, the verdict was clear: guilty, sentenced to kissing this guy who called you their best friend.

* * *

So here we are. I've been trying to convince Silver it's not so bad ever since Crystal left - she didn't clarify but said she should get something - but the only one I'm convincing is myself. I actually want to do it just now. I really want to see the look on his face. Before I have a chance to actually act on my urges Crystal comes running towards us with a video recorder in hand.

"There! Now go and make out, you two! " she says after clicking a button, initiating recording.

* * *

I listen to Crystal excuding the words 'make out' and let them echo in my ears. Soon the sound revolving in my head changes into a 'do not want' of my own. Gold - still smiling - isn't really making me feel at ease the slightest bit. But as I think back to all those other times I made a bet, I decide I should just do this, for memory's sake.

And so, while Gold and Crystal are still laughing about one of Gold's lame jokes, I move closer to him. When he turns his head so it's facing me, probably because he feels my breath, I just kiss him. Like that. After a single second I'm about to pull away but Gold grasps at my back and, to my shock, begins moving his lips. I can't pull away, I can't even move an inch.

A shrill voice coming from a certain blue-haired girl reminds me that this is all being taped and strangely it leads me into believing Gold is doing this all for show. Ah, to hell with it, I think and begin mimicking Gold's movements to entertain the 'audience' which causes said one-man audience to create an 'ooohh' sound followed by a fit of giggles. As Gold attempts to slip his tongue into my mouth I immediately pull away in half-awe, half-disgust.

"What did you just try to do?" I give him a death glare with a heavy blush on my face and… goddammmit if he isn't going to say something soon I'll hit him in the face.

"What? I thought it was rhetorical question." It was the most stupid answer I had ever heard until I thought about it. It probably could've been.

Actually, what he did was even sort of explainable. I fucking started this, how wrong of him was it to assume I wanted this? Very wrong. How far was he from the truth? Not as far as he thought. My thoughts are going too fast for me to handle. I can't even rationalize them or mentally scold myself for actually thinking of this stuff. As I hear the beep of Crystal's camera shutting off I slap Gold in the face and while he's still rubbing his cheek I link my lips with his once more.


End file.
